Dreamcatcher
Dreamcatcher is a very laid-back and open individual. One who believes honesty to be the best policy, he is quick to say what's on his mind, regardless of circumstance. While not prideful, he holds great respect for the natural world, his people, and his Shaman heritage. This has led him into some conflicts with those who would disrespect what he values. Despite his relaxed attitude, he has a quick temper, and is quick to act on what he believes. His relationship to the world around him is always growing and changing with his experience, as he learns more of the world from which he gains his Shaman blood and heritage. He is often very much in tune with nature, and is more comfortable in the woods or plains than in most "civilized" environments. 'Biography' 'Early Life' Born of the Native Equestrian Navapony tribe (Navapony meaning "Ponies of the Tall Grass And Big Sky"), Dreamcatcher is an earth pony Shaman, a unique subrace of Earth Ponies who are much more in tune with the earth than other ponies. Born to the Shaman Spirit Speaker and his wife Soulwing, Dreamcatcher's only other family is his older brother, Silverwind. He spent much of his young life among his tribe, who live an intentionally modest existence in the Great Equestrian Plains, southwest of Ponyville . 'The 2nd Nightmare Crisis' During Autumn of 1000, mere months after Nightmare Moon's escape, Dreamcatcher began experiencing sleeping troubles due to an external influence on his dreams. Shortly after, the Navapony tribe was visited by a Canterlot mare by the name of Melody. She explained to Dreamcatcher that Princess Luna was experiencing severe nightmares and that she had been sent to seek his unique abilities to attempt to aide her. Agreeing to help, Dreamcatcher traveled with Melody to Canterlot to help Luna. During a stop in Ponyville, Dreamcatcher met Twilight Sparkle and her friends, having to save Fluttershy and her bunnies from a pack of coyotes. During the fight, the coyotes were scared off by a howl from what turned out to be a rabid wolf. Dreamcatcher killed the wolf, but was injured in the fight and had to be nursed back to health back in Ponyville. After a day of rest, Dreamcatcher and the others were taken to Canterlot by means of Pegasus-drawn Carriage. Once in Canterlot, Dreamcatcher developed a friendship with a nervous and socially isolated Princess Luna. Using his shamanic abilities, Dreamcatcher exorcised the remnants of Nightmare Moon which had been causing Luna's nightmares, unfortunately the exorcised remnants took on a form of their own and went on to ravage the city of Canterlot. Celestia, fooled by Nightmare Moon taking on Luna's shape, was set upon by the Nightmare who trapped her within the sun. When the reborn Nightmare Moon attempted to attack Luna, Dreamcatcher pushed her out of the way, taking the blow himself and being impaled on Nightmare Moon's horn. Luna charged Melody with keeping Dreamcatcher awake and alive while she fought the Nightmare. While Luna and Celestia fought the Nightmare, a dying Dreamcatcher realized that she was still an entity of dreams. Convincing Melody to let him sleep, Dreamcatcher dragged Nightmare Moon into his dreamscape, a realm in which he held absolute power. He fought and contained her as he listened to the fading sound of his heartbeat, knowing that when he died, everything in his dreamscape would be destroyed. When his heart finally stopped, the Nightmare died with him. Celestia returned after the death of Dreamcatcher and the Nightmare to find Luna attempting to heal the broken shaman, mending the wounds in his body to try to save him, and when that failed, she wept over his body, pleading with him not to abandon her and break his promise to stay by her side. Luna's heartfelt need was successful and Dreamcatcher's soul forced its way back from the other side to return to the land of the living. Dreamcatcher was nursed back to health by Nurse Redheart as the reconstruction of Canterlot began, and afterwords moved to Ponyville to live with Derpy Hooves and Melody's cousin Lyra. 'Life in Ponyville' Later, while the reconstruction was still underweay and Dreamcatcher was still living in Ponyville he had to look for work to be able to contribute to paying rent. ' ' He tried a job at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie , failing almost immediately due to his complete inability to cook. He then tried to work as a model for Rarity , but woulnd up fleeing from that job as well when he realized she wanted him to model dresses. After Melody suggested he offer his help to Fluttershy, Dreamcatcher felt confident that this was a job he could handle, as he already had plenty of experience with animals, but when his first job was to feed Angel Bunny a carrot, he quickly discovered that any job relating to the rabbit was more trouble than it was worth. Dreamcatcher finally found a Ponyville job he had a real knack for when he started working with Applejack on Sweet Apple Acres as an applebucker. His Shamanic ability to speak with the trees made harvesting the apples much simpler and both he and AJ were happy with the arrangement. That same night, Dreamcatcher discovered a young filly named Palette who was suffering night terrors. After assisting the filly, Dreamcatcher returned to work at Sweet Apple Acres where he was approached by his coworker Caramel , who had heard about how he'd helped Palette and asked to buy a dream catcher from him. Dreamcatcher refused payment, saying it was a Shaman's duty to help ponies in need, but throughout the day he was approached by more and more ponies asking for dream catchers until finally he was approached by Mayor Mare who asked him to make dream catchers for everypony in town and offered him a job as a civil servant to make dream catchers and watch over the dreams of the residents of Ponyville. A short time later, during the Winter of 1000, Dreamcatcher met a pair of younger mares named Moxi and Chillwind who were in Ponyville during a stop on their trip to Manehattan. The mares and Dreamcatcher felt a strange draw to one another and became instant friends. 'The Skintrotter's Curse' During the Winter of 1009, Dreamcatcher received word that Chillwind had fallen seriously ill in Manehattan. Travelling to the city to comfort Moxi and help in any way he could. During her illness, Dreamcatcher, worried by the doctors' inability to ascertain the cause, began to investigate the source of Chillwind's ailment. It was this search that led him to discover that Chillwind had been attacked by a Skintrotter, a shapeshifting pony of Native Equestrian origin. Choosing not to burden Moxi with the knowledge that this was being done to Chillwind intentionally, Dreamcatcher chose to leave to search for either the origin or the cure. His attempts to rescue his friend turned out to be in vain, and within only a couple months of contracting her disease, Chillwind succumbed to her disease, not even surviving long enough to see the following Spring. Having been far from Manehattan at the time of Chillwind's death, Dreamcatcher returned as soon as he received word to attend Chillwind's funeral. The damage, however, had already been done, and when Dreamcatcher arrived to console his newly widowed friend it was to find her at the bottom of a bottle and unwilling to face the world. A divide between Moxi and Dreamcatcher in the wake of Chillwind's death. A desperate Moxi blamed Dreamcatcher for not being there when she and Chillwind had needed him most. This fueled Dreamcatcher's already terrible guilt at not being able to save his friend, and the Shaman began a furious search for the pony responsible for Chillwind's death. Unable to help her, and unwilling to tell her the truth before he could catch her wife's killer, Dreamcatcher asked his friends who were involved in the construction of Luneria to set Moxi up with a new home. Hopeful that Moxi would take the opportunity to start a new life, he left his friend a train ticket to the forest town before leaving Manehattan again in search of the Skintrotter who had caused so much grief. All thoughts of heroics aside, Dreamcatcher's only desire was for revenge against this Skintrotter. For three entire years, he hunted the tracks throughout Equestria, barely eating, barely sleeping, his mind only on finding his quarry. As time went on, his obsession and guilt wore away at Dreamcatcher's pysche, and in his obsession he slowly grew more violent and callous to the ponies around him. Several times he came close to catching his prey in these three long years, but it wasn't until he tracked the Skintrotter to Luneria that Dreamcatcher's hunt came to an end. Following in the shapeshifter's steps, Catcher arrived at Luneria only to find that the Skintrotter who he had been hunting, named Moonpetal, had befriended his friends including Moxi, who didn't realize that the young mare was a Skintrotter. At the sight of his prey, Dreamcatcher, now starving and barely sane, flew into a rage, attacking the terrified Moonpetal, before being pinned by True Blue. Dreamcatcher was arrested and placed in the Luneria jail, screaming that Moonpetal was dangerous and needed to be stopped. None of the ponies believed Catcher, thinking that he had truly gone insane and didn't know what he was saying, but his words proved true when Moonpetal's pack attacked Luneria, Moonpetal was taken from the city and Moxi attacked and poisoned by Moonpetal's father, the Skintrotter Alpha. Her condition began to rapidly deteriorate and even by the time Dreamcatcher was released from his cell, she was bedridden, feverish, and in-and-out of lucidity. Dreamcatcher darted into the forest, intent on finishing his task and hunting the Skintrotters down. Lucan, with the aid of the wolves of the Everfree forest, came to aid him, claiming that the Skintrotters were impeding on his wolves territory, and thus needed to be taken down. The group chased down and fought the Skintrotters, with Dreamcatcher breaking off to fight the Alpha. In a short but violent struggle, Catcher overcame and slew the Alpha, killing both him and the magical infection he had left in Moxi. Dreamcatcher and Lucan then captured Moonpetal, who believed Catcher would kill her on the spot. Instead however, the Shaman dragged her back to Luneria, in the belief that Moxi would want her revenge against Chillwind's killer. However, upon their return to the town Moxi, horrified by the murderous state of her friend, showed mercy on Moonpetal, realizing that it was the desire for revenge, fueled by anger and hatred, that had damaged her friend so badly. Moxi forgave Moonpetal, and then forgave Catcher, informing him that what happened wasn't his fault, and that the guilt he had carried for three years wasn't his to carry in the first place. Dreamcatcher, suddenly robbed of his purpose, broke down crying, and he and Moxi were finally reconciled. From there on he, as well as Moonpetal, decided to remain in Luneria as permanent residents. 'The Well of Hearts' Dreamcatcher remained a single stallion throughout much of his life. Despite Moxi and Melody's best attempts to the contrary, the Shaman struggled in relationships, having difficulty in finding the "special somepony" that was right for him and wanting only a meaningful relationship. After a while, he simply gave up, assuming that if he was meant to be with somepony, it would happen on i's own. While living in Luneria however, Dreamcatcher learned that another pony, Thistle Charm, was in a similar situation. The young mare realized that Hearts and Hooves Day was coming up, and she did not yet have a date for Luneria's Hearts and Hooves Festival. While her friends wanted her to go, Thistle had no wish to go alone, and so she sought about for a way to find her special somepony before then. From the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville she learned of the existence of a magical well, deep in the Everfree Forest , lost to time,which would show anypony who looks into it the face of their true love. She decides to go looking for this Well of Hearts, but was afraid to venture out into the Everfree on her own. While discussing her conundrum with some other ponies in Maison Chevalier , Thistle is overheard by Moxi and Dreamcatcher. Moxi suggested that Dreamcatcher go with her to help guide her in the Everfree and keep her safe andDreamatcher agreed, mentioning that he'd be interested in seeing his special somepony. and the pair would set out the next day. As they ventured deep into the Everfree Forest, they began to run into problems. With many obstacles and dangers in their path, the two soon got lost in the forest. Forced to rely on each other to get through these obstacles, the two ponies quickly began to realize how much they have in common, and come to genuinely like and rely on each other. As the journey becomes more and more harrowing, the two ponies feelings for each other grow as they learn to further trust and depend on one another. Upon their arrival to the end of their journey, at the ruins of the shrine surrounding the Well of Hearts, both ponies hesitated , unsure of their desire to look into the Well, with the knowledge that once they did, they'd know who they're fated to love. Such certainty of fate caused the two to falter, as the feelings they'd developed towards each other made them worry that the Well might show otherwise. Nevertheless, the two pushed forward, but upon the both of them looking into the water of the well, the two ponies saw only their reflections, nothing more. Catcher and Thistle were simultaneously relieved and disheartened that the well was just a hoax. Returning to Luneria, the two came to the realization that, in their journey, they had missed Hearts and Hooves Day. Catcher apologized to Thistle for causing her to miss the event, but Thistle replied that the event no longer bothered her, and indeed preferred her time with the Navapony stallion over the Festival, before she kissed him on the cheek. As the two proceeded into Ponyville, they ran into Twilight Sparkle. Thistle informed Twilight of what had occurred, and informed her that the wells power was nothing more than a legend. The two depart but, after having spent their time together, were loath to simply forget about their adventure. Catcher confesses his feelings towards Thistle and asks her to be his special somepony, and the two develop a relationship. It isn't until later that Twilight reveals to them that the power of the Well of Hearts was real, and informs the couple that whomever else the two saw when they looked into the Well was their special somepony. Thistle and Catcher, upon hearing this, realized that they had looked into the well at the same time, and saw each other in their reflection, thus confirming by fate what their hearts already felt. In time, the ponies married, and later formed a family of their own with their adopted son, the batpony stallion Ebon Heart, and their biological daughter, the Shaman pony Spirit Breeze. 'Cutie Mark' Dreamcatcher's Cutie Mark is, as his name dictates, a wooden dreamcatcher with red and white feathers. The mark first apppeared after Dreamcatcher successfully entered another pony's dream for the first time and repelled a Nightmare. It is this, his Shaman ability to negotiate the realm of dreams, that earned him his cutie mark. This mark's deeper meaning is one of reconcilation, Dreamcatcher's largest goal in any conflict. A pony who appreciates the natural harmony of the Earth, he holds a deep desire for putting others at peace. The dreamcatcher is an extension of this. Designed to capture, banish, and/or reconcile ponies' nightmares (which in most cases are direct derivatives of internal conflict), a dreamcatcher then, according to Navapony legend, holds the nightmare until it is destroyed by the morning sun. This plays into Dreamcatcher's ability to banish the nightmares of others and bring reconciliation to ponies. 'Abilities' Dreamcatcher is a skilled naturalist and tracker, as made necessary by the frugal, primitive life of his people. With a decent knowledge of survival and botany born of experience, he is a pony more comfortable in the wilds than in civilization. He is also a practitioner of Navapony Martial Arts , and is skilled in his distinctive weapon, the Tomahawk . However, his most potent abilities stem from his Shaman heritage, including his Dream control and more dangerously, his Dreamsight. 'Navapony Martial Arts' Given no name by it's people, this fighting technique is the direct result of several hundred years of Native Equestrian combat. Fluid in nature, Navapony fighting relies on unorthodox tactics and constant movement to keep the opponent off-balance. This is combined with sudden, savage attacks meant to cripple the opponent both through physical damage and sheer shock. The Navapony claim that this style originates from the Navapony's Prairie Wolf Allies, focusing on predatorial techniquies of patience and caution followed by sudden brutal violence. As such, many who face it often make comment on it's predatorial appearance; a skulking pony, low to the ground, quick to dart in and attack only to disengage quickly. It is from this correlation that many Native Equestrian tribes often call Navapony warriors "The Wolves in Pony Clothing". 'Tomahawk' Given to him by his brother, and an heirloom of his family, Dreamcatcher's tomahawk is a archetypical piece of Native Equestrian Combat. Originating with the Alponquin people of the east, who first used the term "Tamahaac", this tribal axe carved it's way to the forefront of Native culture. Traditionally made out of stone or, in some cases, the bones of other animals or enemies, these small but powerful weapons were used for self defense from predators and inter-tribe conflicts among the Native Equestrians. When the Earth Pony, Unicorn , and Pegasus nations first made their way onto the Equestrian soils of the ancestral Native Equestrians, these were soon replaced with metal hatchets, increasing their efficacy. Dreamcatcher's tomahawk in particular is on the common "pipe tomahawk" style of the early pony traders. Made with the edge on one side and a smoking pipe on the other, these tomahawks were made to reflect the Native Equestrians' dual natures; eager to make peace, but willing to fight and die for their tribes. Over time, his foresires have added decoration to the weapon, adding eagle feathers as signs of victory, as well as traditional Navapony Shaman icons on the haft, marking the weapon as being carried by a Shaman of the Navapony. 'The Dream Shaman' While a decent fighter and survivalist, Dreamcatcher's most distinctive feature are the unique abilites granted him by his Shaman heritage. Like all Shamans, Dreamcatcher's unique connection to the magical energies of the Earth allow him to channel abilities usually impossible for an earth pony. His more common and subtle abilities include the capability to enter the dreams of others, as well as manipulate any dreamspace he finds himself in. He is thus able to fight off malevolent entities that cross into ponies' minds from the astral realm. His dreams also allow him brief premonitions into the future, a power that has on several occasions given him foresight on an upcoming event. However, Dreamcatcher's abilities also have a more powerful, active form; The Dreamsight, Following his Shaman Awakening, whereby certain Shaman develop intensely more powerful connections to the Earth, Dreamcatcher can now manifest his normally passive dream abilities into the physical world. This ability is enabled through Dreamcatcher's eyes, where his iris changes from a deep grey to a glowing silver, and changes from a round circle to a double row of diamonds, which is coincidentally the Native Equestrian icon for the "Shaman's Eye ". During use of the Dreamsight, Dreamcatcher's eyes begin to bleed from the ocular strain of maintaining his Shamanic ability. While activated, Dreamcatcher is able to manipulate the mental state and perceptions of others by making eye contact. The distinct capabilities of the Dreamsight are: 'Precognition' Dreamcatcher's normal ability to catch glimpses of the future now manifests as the ability to see several moments ahead in time, allowing for a much greater reaction/response time. 'Day Dream' Dreamcatcher takes over the perception of the victim, whereby he projects intense hallucinations. From this he can project environmental scene changes, create clones of himself or others, make ponies disappear or appear, etc... Essentially a powerful illusion. 'Waking Nightmare' The more malicious side of Day Dream. Just as a dream can be good or bad, so can the illusion that Dreamcatcher projects on another pony. In Waking Nightmare, Dreamcatcher taps into the mind of his enemy, channeling their worst fears into a violent hallucination that often mentally destabilizes the victim, or worse, puts them in mental shock altogether. A Nightmare to Behold.Category:Abilities 'A New Nightmare' Following the events of the 2nd Nightmare Crisis, Dreamcatcher returned to his normal life, banishing nightmares and working at Sweet Apple Acres. However, while he was assisted by Princess Luna in banishing nightmares, the Shaman pony felt that he had been changed by Nightmare Moon's presence in his mind. It wasn't until one skirmish with a particularly powerful Nightmare that Dreamcatcher discovered that his contact with Nightmare Moon had left him a strange ability: he was able to tap into and utilize Nightmare Energy. This dark corruption of Astral energy is what gives Nightmares form and strength, and Catcher learned that he could devour these Nightmares and, in doing so, devour their energy. This consumption of energy allowed Dreamcatcher to utilize Nightmare Energy, even outside of an astral state. For the first time ever, the Dream Shaman could project Astral Energy into the real world, a skill normally available to Astral alicorns such as the Princesses Luna and Cherry Bloom. After several small usages, Catcher came to realize that, by tapping into the energy he stored up in devouring Nightmares, he could take on a Nightmare form of his own. And thus, the New Nightmare was born. In this state, Dreamcatcher's mane and tail catch fire, turning into black, billowing flames reminiscent of an alicorn's ethereal mane. His red sash grows into a long ragged scarf, and under it forms a barbaric Native Equestrian necklace adorned with claws and bone beads. Red wraps form around his legs, and he develops white, bone-like, clawed horseshoes on his hooves. Covering his face is a bleached alicorn skull, which encases his skull and jaw, leaving only his then-blood red eyes showing. His body becomes marked with jagged red tribal designs, overall turning his visage into one of a terrifying tribal predator. During his Nightmare state, Dreamcatcher is capable of materializing his stored Nightmare Energy into vicious attacks and blasts. Furthermore, his speed and strength skyrocket, while damage to his body quickly calcifies and heals.Despite these obvious physical changes, Dreamcatcher's mental talents shift as well. In the Nightmare state, Dreamcatcher taps into the subconscious of any pony nearby. Through this he taps into one of their most instinctive, primal fears: the Fear of being Hunted. As the Nightmare of the Hunt, Dreamcatcher's very presence initiates this fear, as it is upon such fear that typical Nightmares feed on. However, this form is very limited, as it requires massive amounts of Nightmare energy to maintain. As such, Dreamcatcher can typically only maintain it for a very short time, until the stored energy depletes and he reverts to his normal state. Such usage and reversion leaves the Shaman exhausted, and he is all but useless after each usage. Character Tropes * Determinator. Holy Luna, Determinator. * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagicalNativeAmerican - Shamans are weird... * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BadassNative - He's walked away from enough fights that should have left him dead. * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PeacePipe - Don't worry, it's peaceful * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TipisAndTotemPoles - Navapony are nomadic, and it's useful to have a tent. * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnAxeToGrind - Have you ever been hit with a tomahawk? * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScarilyCompetentTracker - He tracks a Skintrotter for THREE YEARS without losing the trail. * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagicalEye - Dreamsight. Nuff said. * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NatureHero - Of a sort. * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NatureLover - Most definitely * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NatureSpirit - Not him specifically. But his power comes from one, the Alicorn Princess of the Earth, Gaia, who is literally Mother nature. * http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MotherNature - Mommy? Gallery